That the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee be authorised to hold a public meeting during the sitting of the Senate on Wednesday, 9 March 2005, from 10.30 am to 11.30 am, to take evidence for the committee’s inquiry under standing order 25(2)(b) into the implementation of a recommendation in its report concerning the Australian meat quota consultative structure.

Senator Allison to move on the next day of sitting:

That the following matters be referred to the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee for inquiry and report by 21 June 2005:

(a)
whether any Australian personnel (including employees, contractors and consultants) were present, or had duties which included being present, during any interrogations or interviews (however defined) of persons detained in relation to the war in Iraq, and in particular those persons suspected of having knowledge of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction;

(b)
whether any knowledge of, or concerns regarding, the treatment of those Iraqi detainees was provided to Australian Government departments, agencies and ministers, and what actions resulted from the provision of this information;

(c)
whether the Iraq Survey Group (ISG) were able to report frankly and fearlessly on what they had found, or whether attempts were made to censor or otherwise distort their findings; and

(d)
whether any Australian personnel provided information or concerns to any part of the Australian Government relating to concerns about the functions or reports of the ISG, and what actions resulted from the provision of this information.

Senator Chapman to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services be authorised to hold a public meeting during the sitting of the Senate on Tuesday, 15 March 2005, from 5 pm, to take evidence for the committee’s inquiry into the statutory oversight of the operations of ASIC.

Senator Stott Despoja to move on the next day of sitting:

That there be laid on the table by the Minister representing the Minister for Health and Ageing, no later than the conclusion of question time on 17 March 2005, the following documents:

(a)
any instructions given by the Minister for Health and Ageing to the Department of Health and Ageing to prepare advice regarding the abortion issue within the past 12 months; and

(b)
any responses from the Department of Health and Ageing received by the Minister in relation to those instructions within the past 12 months.

Senator Stott Despoja to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate—

(a)
notes that:

(i)
8 March is International Women’s Day,

(ii)
the Women’s Rights Action Network Australia recently gave Australian governments a D-minus for their handling of women’s human rights,

(iii)
the Government intends to discontinue funding to the Partnerships Against Domestic Violence program, including the Australian Domestic and Family Violence Clearinghouse, after 30 June 2005,

(iv)
the Government is likely to halve funding in the 2005-06 financial year to the National Initiative to Combat Sexual Assault program, which may result in the Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault being forced to close after 30 June 2005,

(v)
according to forward estimates contained in the 2004-05 Budget, the Government plans to spend just $3.4 million in the 2005-06 financial year on women’s programs, compared to an estimated $11.6 million in the 2004-05 financial year and $25 million in the 2003-04 financial year,

(vi)
Australia remains one of only two Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries without a national scheme of paid maternity leave, and two-thirds of working women (mostly those in lower paid positions) do not have access to paid leave on the birth of a child,

(vii)
Australia continues to have one of the lowest female workforce participation rates in the OECD,

(viii)
women’s full-time, ordinary time earnings are still only 85 per cent of men’s while women’s total earnings, including part-time and casual employees, are only 66 per cent of men’s, and these rates have changed little since the Howard Government was first elected in 1996, and

(ix)
women hold only 10.2 per cent of executive management positions and only 3.2 per cent of the top executive positions in Australia, and women who are in senior management positions are paid around 90 per cent of their male counterparts; and

(b)
calls on the Government to do more for women and, in particular, to continue to fund the Australian Domestic and Family Violence Clearinghouse and the Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault after 30 June 2005.

Senator Allison to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate—

(a)
congratulates the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Women’s Issues on reaffirming at the United Nations, during the week beginning 27 February 2005, the Government’s ongoing commitment to the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and its refusal to agree to proposals from the United States of America that would have explicitly omitted women’s right to safe and legal abortion;

(c)
calls on the governments of other states and the Northern Territory to follow the Australian Capital Territory’s lead in removing pregnancy termination from the criminal code.

The President to move on the next day of sitting:

That the following bill be introduced: a Bill for an Act to amend the Parliamentary Service Act 1999, and for related purposes. Parliamentary Service Amendment Bill 2005.

Senator Ridgeway to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate—

(a)
congratulates the organisers of the Inner Sydney ‘Blackout Violence’ campaign against family violence and sexual assault against women in Aboriginal communities for receiving the 2004 Violence Against Women Prevention Award at New South Wales (NSW) Parliament on 25 November 2004 for ‘outstanding contribution to the prevention and reduction of violence against women in NSW’, earned through their sustained campaign which was launched in September 2004 with Aboriginal footballers wearing purple armbands at the NSW Aboriginal Rugby League Knockout;

(b)
notes that:

(i)
the ‘Blackout Violence’ campaign is a local community initiative which has been successful through the hard work of Dixie Gordon, Redfern Legal Centre, Rob Welsh, Metropolitan Aboriginal Land Council and the Inner City Domestic Violence Action Group, and that they are still working to keep up the momentum of the struggle against all forms of violence against women and children in Aboriginal communities, and

(ii)
numerous communities in Western Australia, Victoria and Queensland have been inspired by the ‘Blackout Violence’ campaign and have requested the assistance of the NSW organisers to apply the campaign as a national model to counter family violence;

(c)
encourages the NSW Government and the Department of Aboriginal Affairs to favourably and expeditiously approve the application for funding to formally draft the ‘Blackout Violence’ model for use by other Indigenous communities; and

(d)
calls on the Commonwealth Government to work with the NSW Government and in partnership with Indigenous communities and community organisations, to ensure that such community initiatives are recognised and appropriately resourced in the Governments’ Indigenous Affairs policies and programs.

(b)
recognises that unemployment is an inter-generational problem in most Indigenous communities and that CDEP projects play a key role in restoring pride in Indigenous communities and individuals as they see the tangible results and benefits of their work;

(c)
notes that the Government is currently restructuring CDEP and expresses its concern that the important community development functions of CDEP will be discarded when the program is subsumed into the Job Network; and

(d)
calls on the Government to guarantee that in its restructure of CDEP:

(i)
community and cultural development CDEP activities will not be downgraded,

(ii)
both CDEP positions and funding are increased,

(iii)
communities will still be able to set their own goals for their CDEP, and

(iv)
the role of CDEP in any future shared responsibility agreements is clarified.

Senator Nettle to move 11 sitting days hence:

That the Approval and Notice of Approval [dated 12 November 2004 in relation to ACPE Limited], made under section 16-50(1) of the Higher Education Support Act 2003, be disallowed.

Senator Nettle to move 11 sitting days hence:

That the Approval and Notice of Approval [dated 15 November 2004 in relation to Adelaide College of Divinity Incorporated], made under section 16-50(1) of the Higher Education Support Act 2003, be disallowed.

Senator Nettle to move 11 sitting days hence:

That the Approval and Notice of Approval [dated 27 August 2004 in relation to the Australian College of Applied Psychology Pty Ltd], made under section 16-50(1) of the Higher Education Support Act 2003, be disallowed.

Senator Nettle to move 11 sitting days hence:

That the Approval and Notice of Approval [dated 12 November 2004 in relation to the Australian College of Theology Council Incorporated], made under section 16-50(1) of the Higher Education Support Act 2003, be disallowed.

Senator Nettle to move 11 sitting days hence:

That the Approval and Notice of Approval [dated 12 November 2004 in relation to the Australian Institute of Public Safety Pty Ltd], made under section 16-50(1) of the Higher Education Support Act 2003, be disallowed.

Senator Nettle to move 11 sitting days hence:

That the Approval and Notice of Approval [dated 12 November 2004 in relation to the Australian International Hotel School], made under section 16-50(1) of the Higher Education Support Act 2003, be disallowed.

Senator Nettle to move 11 sitting days hence:

That the Approval and Notice of Approval [dated 9 November 2004 in relation to the Australian Lutheran College], made under section 16-50(1) of the Higher Education Support Act 2003, be disallowed.

Senator Nettle to move 11 sitting days hence:

That the Approval and Notice of Approval [dated 27 August 2004 in relation to Avondale College Limited], made under section 16-50(1) of the Higher Education Support Act 2003, be disallowed.

Senator Nettle to move 11 sitting days hence:

That the Approval and Notice of Approval [dated 27 August 2004 in relation to the Christian Heritage College], made under section 16-50(1) of the Higher Education Support Act 2003, be disallowed.

Senator Nettle to move 11 sitting days hence:

That the Approval and Notice of Approval [dated 9 November 2004 in relation to Harvest Bible College Inc.], made under section 16-50(1) of the Higher Education Support Act 2003, be disallowed.

Senator Nettle to move 11 sitting days hence:

That the Approval and Notice of Approval [dated 27 September 2004 in relation to Holmes Commercial Colleges (Melbourne) Ltd], made under section 16-50(1) of the Higher Education Support Act 2003, be disallowed.

Senator Nettle to move 11 sitting days hence:

That the Approval and Notice of Approval [dated 1 December 2004 in relation to KvB Visual Concepts Pty Ltd], made under section 16-50(1) of the Higher Education Support Act 2003, be disallowed.

Senator Nettle to move 11 sitting days hence:

That the Approval and Notice of Approval [dated 29 October 2004 in relation to the Marcus Oldham College], made under section 16-50(1) of the Higher Education Support Act 2003, be disallowed.

Senator Nettle to move 11 sitting days hence:

That the Approval and Notice of Approval [dated 12 November 2004 in relation to Melbourne Institute of Business and Technology Pty Ltd], made under section 16-50(1) of the Higher Education Support Act 2003, be disallowed.

Senator Nettle to move 11 sitting days hence:

That the Approval and Notice of Approval [dated 1 November 2004 in relation to Monash International Pty Ltd], made under section 16-50(1) of the Higher Education Support Act 2003, be disallowed.

Senator Nettle to move 11 sitting days hence:

That the Approval and Notice of Approval [dated 6 September 2004 in relation to Moore Theological College Council], made under section 16-50(1) of the Higher Education Support Act 2003, be disallowed.

Senator Nettle to move 11 sitting days hence:

That the Approval and Notice of Approval [dated 15 November 2004 in relation to Oceanic Polytechnic Institute of Education Pty Ltd], made under section 16-50(1) of the Higher Education Support Act 2003, be disallowed.

Senator Nettle to move 11 sitting days hence:

That the Approval and Notice of Approval [dated 12 November 2004 in relation to Queensland Institute of Business and Technology Pty Ltd], made under section 16-50(1) of the Higher Education Support Act 2003, be disallowed.

Senator Nettle to move 11 sitting days hence:

That the Approval and Notice of Approval [dated 12 November 2004 in relation to the South Australian Institute of Business and Technology Pty Ltd], made under section 16-50(1) of the Higher Education Support Act 2003, be disallowed.

Senator Nettle to move 11 sitting days hence:

That the Approval and Notice of Approval [dated 26 November 2004 in relation to the Sydney College of Divinity Ltd], made under section 16-50(1) of the Higher Education Support Act 2003, be disallowed.

Senator Nettle to move 11 sitting days hence:

That the Approval and Notice of Approval [dated 12 November 2004 in relation to the Sydney Institute of Business and Technology Pty Ltd], made under section 16-50(1) of the Higher Education Support Act 2003, be disallowed.

Senator Nettle to move 11 sitting days hence:

That the Approval and Notice of Approval [dated 27 August 2004 in relation to Tabor College Incorporated], made under section 16-50(1) of the Higher Education Support Act 2003, be disallowed.

Senator Nettle to move 11 sitting days hence:

That the Approval and Notice of Approval [dated 6 September 2004 in relation to Tabor College (NSW) Inc.], made under section 16-50(1) of the Higher Education Support Act 2003, be disallowed.

Senator Nettle to move 11 sitting days hence:

That the Approval and Notice of Approval [dated 6 September 2004 in relation to Tabor College (Victoria) Inc.], made under section 16-50(1) of the Higher Education Support Act 2003, be disallowed.

Senator Nettle to move 11 sitting days hence:

That the Approval and Notice of Approval [dated 9 November 2004 in relation to Australian Institute of Music Limited], made under section 16-50(1) of the Higher Education Support Act 2003, be disallowed.

Senator Nettle to move 11 sitting days hence:

That the Approval and Notice of Approval [dated 27 August 2004 in relation to the National Institute of Dramatic Art], made under section 16-50(1) of the Higher Education Support Act 2003, be disallowed.

Senator Nettle to move 11 sitting days hence:

That the Approval and Notice of Approval [dated 11 November 2004 in relation to the Wesley Institute], made under section 16-50(1) of the Higher Education Support Act 2003, be disallowed.

Senator Brown to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate—

(a)
notes that:

(i)
on 4 February 2005 Tasmania’s Resource Management and Planning Appeal Tribunal found that there is a prima facie case of environmental harm, including landslips and pollution and diminution of domestic water supplies, if logging proceeds at South Sister near St Marys,

(ii)
the tribunal nevertheless denied the resident’s request for a temporary order to halt the logging because the residents are unable to give an undertaking to pay ‘many tens of thousands of dollars’ to Forestry Tasmania if their case failed, and

(iii)
a full hearing of the matter is set down for 6 to 9 June 2005; and

(b)
calls on the Minister for the Environment and Heritage to use his good offices to delay logging of this contentious coupe of forests until the full hearing before the tribunal has occurred and a finding issued.